Track aligning arrangement



IN VEN TOR.

new

l1 w 1m N mm1 'RASSER BY Jos? TfEvRER Oct. 12, 1965 F. PLAssER ETAL TRACK ALIGNING AHRANGEMENT Filed Feb. 2 1961 United States Patent M 3,211,109 TRACK ALIGNING ARRANGEMENT Franz Plasser and Josef rIheurer, both of Johanuegasse 3, Vienna I, Austria Fiied Feb. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 86,704 Claims priority, application Austria, Feb. 16, 1960, A 1,201/60 3 Claims. (Cl. 104-7) This invention relates to the alignment of railroad tracks, particularly an arrangement for aligning tracks along a straight line.

It is common practice to establish a straight line along a track section that is to be aligned, the straight line being defined by a beam of light, or an elongated member under tension such as a tensioned wire. The spacing of the wire from a track section to be aligned, hereinafter referred to as non-aligned track section, provides guidance for track shifting equipment, usually comprising hydraulic -means for lifting or laterally displacing a track portion and `ballast tamping equipment for securing the shifted track portion in the aligned position. Machines for aligning track portions are well known and will not `be discussed here in more detail.

Track aligning machines are usually supported on wheels and travel on the track. `It is known to associate with a movable track aligning machine to support carriages which are spaced on the .track forward and vbackward of the aligning machine and carry the ends of a tensioned wire. Index means on the aligning machine and indicating the position of the track porti-on being -aligned cooperate with the wire for the guidance of the machine operator. To permit continuous operation of such an arrangement, it is necessary that the two support carriages be connected with the track yaligning machine by coupling rods. The rods must be relatively long to minimize the angular deviation of the tensioned wire `from the true aligned position which is unavoidable because of the fact that the support carriage located forward of the aligning machine necessarily stands on a non-aligned track portion. The overall length of track occupied by the track aligning machine and the two support carriages with the intervening coupling rods is relatively great. The encumbrance of the tracks is undesirable, and particularly so in the aligned track portion backward of the track aligning machine. The known arrangement also has a relatively large number of elements and thus provides numerous sources of possible alignment errors.

We have found that an arrangement of the general type described above can be greatly simplified, that the reliability of the equipment can be improved and that encumbrance of the track section backward of the track aligning machine can be entirely avoided by employing the aligning machine itself as a support for one end of a tensioned wire or other means for establishing a straight line toward a single support arranged forward of the track aligning machine on a non-aligned track section,

The arrangement of the invention for aligning a railroad track, which has an aligned and a non-aligned section contiguously adjacent each other, thus provides basically a first support on the aligned track section equipped with means for aligning a terminal portion of the nonaligned track section adjacent the aligned section and with means which define a first index point transversely spaced from the aligned track section, that is, either horizontally in a lateral direc-tion, or vertically, or both. A second support is provided on a portion of the non-aligned track section remote from the aligned section and defines a second index point transversely spaced from the remote track portion, and a straight line longitudinal of the track hetween the index points. The iirst support also carries in- 3,211,109 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 ICC ldicating means for indicating the distance between the terminal portion of the non-aligned track section and the aforementioned straight line, which indicating means provides guidance for the track aligning machine operator.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the `accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a iirst embodiment of the track arrangement of the invention in somewhat diagrammatic side elevation; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention in a corresponding view.

The `figures of the drawing show a track aligning and ballast tamping machine of a known type .and supported on an aligned section 2 of a railroad track 2. The machine includes -a ballast tamping device 3 and track shifting apparatus represented by a hydraulic jack 4 for vertically adjusting the position of the track, as is well known. The machine further includes similar hydraulic jacks for horizontally shifting the track in -a direction transverse of its elongation. These jacks are not visible in the drawing but are conventional.

The track aligning devices 3 and 4 are supported on a forward portion of the machine frame which overhangs the terminal portion of the non-aligned track section 2, whereas the rear portion Iof the machine is supported on two pairs of wheels 5', -6 on the aligned track portion 2. It will be appreciated that the two track sections 2 and 2" differ in their vertical level, the non-aligned track section being lower than desired and being brought to proper level by the jack 4 and secured in the aligned position by the tamping device 3. The difference in level lbetween the sections 2 and 2 may be Iof the order of an inch, for instance.

Referring now to FIG. 1 in more detail, there is seen a pulley 7 mounted on the track aligning machine 1 in approximate vertical alignment with the front wheels 5 and thus at a precisely determined vertical distance from the aligned track portion 2 on which the track aligning machine stands. One end of a tensioned wire 12 is trained over, and wound on, pulley 7', and extends forward in the direction of track aligning machine movement during normal operation. The wire is maintain-ed under tension by so driving the rotatable pulley 7 as to apply substantially constant `torque to the pulley as machine 1 moves towards support carriage 8.

The other end of the wire 12 is fastened to the support carriage 8 which is stationary with respect to the track and releasably secured by clamps 11 on a portion of the non-aligned track 2 remote from the portion of the non-aligned track within Working range of the tamping device 3 and the jack 4.

A measuring rod 14 is vertically slidable on the front end of the track aligning machine 1 into and out of contact of its bottom end with the track portion that is being lifted by the jack 4. The top end of the measuring rod 14 serves as a marker and indicates the location of the track portion 'which is being aligned relative to the straight line defined by the wire 12. When the length of the rod 14 is equal to the spacing between the track section 2 and the wire 12 'at the stationary support 8', and to the spacing between the track section 2 and the wire 12 at the pulley 7', the vertical distance between the top of the rod and the adjacent portion of the wire 12 indicates the necessary lifting height for the jack 4. It will be understood that the terminal portions of the wire 12 may be laterally aligned with the track sections 2 and 2 to indicate lateral deviation lof a track portion from which the rod 14 extends vertically upward to provide guidance for the operation of horizontally acting jacks not shown in the drawing.

The horizontal spacing between the pulley 7 and the measuring rod 14 is substantially smaller than that between the rod 14 and the support carriage 3'. Any deviation `.of the wire 12 from the desired track direction due to the fact that the carriage 8 stands on non-aligned track is thus minimized. For equal overall length of the equipment on the track, the arrangement `of the invention provides more precise indications of track level than can be achieved with two support carriages respectively spaced forward and backward of the track aligning machine and supporting a tensio-ned wire the position of Iwhich is compared with that of the track portion that is being aligned. For equal precision, the overall length of the equipment on the track can be sharply reduced by the arrangement of the invention.

During normal operation of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the carriage 8' is stationary and is gradually approached by the track aligning machine 1 as it sequentially aligns portions of the track section 2". The pulley 7 with its drive arrangement may be alternatively located above the rear wheels 6, or a second pulley with suitable drive means may be arranged there to permit shifting the effective end point of the wire 12 backward from alignment with the front wheels 5, if necessary.

The arrangement seen in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. l by the provision of a stationary block 7 ton the track aligning machine 1 and of a suitably driven tensioning pulley 9 on the support carriage 8 which is fixed to the track portion 2 by a clamp 11. The device illustrated in FIG. 2 operates in the same manner as described in connection with FIG. l.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to preferred embodiments of the invention and that We intend to cover all changes and modifications `of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the `appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a track grading arrangement for aligning a nonaligned railroad track section with a contiguously adjacent aligned track section: a track aligning machine movable on said track and having a portion supported on two pairs of wheels vertically above said aligned track Section; means on a forward portion -of said machine for aligning a terminal portion of said non-aligned track section adjacent said aligned section and for securing the aligned terminal track section portion in position, said forward machine portion overhanging the terminal track section portion; means on said first-named machine portion vertically above said aligned track section and defining a first index point spaced from said aligned track section; a support stationary on said non-aligned track -section remote from said aligned section and the movable track aligning machine, said stationary support carrying a second index point spaced from said non-aligned track section; a straight line extending between said index points; and means on said movable track aligning machine for indicating the distance between said terminal portion of the non-aligned track section and said straight line.

2. In the arrangement of claim 1, the spacing between the first index point and the aligned track section, and the second index point and the non-aligned track section, being identical.

3. In the arrangement .of claim 1, said straight line being a tensioned elongated member having its respective ends secured to said rst and second index points, respectively.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,962,979 l2/60 McCormick 35-60 X 2,974,607 3/61 Talboys 33-60 X 3,000,099 9/61 Hayes 33-60 3,041,982 7/62 Plasser et al 33-60 X ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

ISAAC LISANN, ROBERT B. HULL, Examiners. 

1. IN A TRACK GRADING ARRANGEMENT FOR ALIGNING A NONALIGNED RAILROAD TRACK SECTION WTIH A CONTIGUOUSLY ADJACENT ALIGNED TRACK SECTION; A TRACK ALIGNING MACHING MOVABLE ON SAID TRACK AND HAVING A PORTION SUPPORTED ON TWO PAIRS OF WHEELS VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID ALIGNED TRACK SECTION; MEANS ON A FORWARD PORTION OF SAID MACHINE FOR ALIGNING A TERMINAL PORTION OF SAID NON-ALIGNED TRACK SECTION ADJACENT SAID ALIGNED SECTION AND FOR SECURING THE ALIGNED TERMINAL TRACK SECTION PORTION IN POSITION, SAID FORWARD MACHINE PORTION OVERHANGING THE TERMINAL TRACK SECTION PORTION; MEANS ON SAID FIRST-NAMED MACHINE PORTION VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID ALIGNED TRACK SECTION AND DEFINING A FIRST INDEX POINT SPACED FROM SAID ALIGNED TRACK SECTION; A SUPPORT STATIONARY ON SAID NON-ALIGNED TRACK SECTION REMOTE FROM SAID ALIGNED SECTION AND THE MOVABLE TRACK ALIGNING MACHING, SAID STATIONARY SUPPORT CARRYING A SECOND INDEX POINT SPACED FROM SAID NON-ALIGNED TRACK SECTION; A STRAIGHT LINE EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID INDEX POINTS; AND MEANS ON SAID MOVABLE TRACK ALIGNING MACHINE FOR INDICATING THE DISTACNE BETWEEN SAID TERMINAL PORTION OF THE NON-ALIGNED TRACK SECTION AND SAID STRAIGHT LINE. 